CRYS
by Psiro the Chronicler
Summary: Dedicated to my younger siblings. A story that took place a year before Ruby entered Beacon. Join team Crystal as they tackle Grimm, school, and just have a great time in the world of Remnant. Contains fun, adventure, minor RWBY characters getting spotlights, and one team of OCs.
1. Preface

I do not own RWBY or any of the characters that share names with actual RWBY Characters. I just write as a hobby and I do not take any credit for any of this.

That being said, I would like to thank you for choosing to pick up and read this fic.

The story behind this story is that I've watched RWBY for about 2 years now and I liked the show. Following that, I let my two younger siblings watch the show a year later and they liked it too. So while we patiently wait for Volume 6, they asked me if I could make up a story before bedtime about the RWBY universe. I said "sure, why not."

The fic that you're about to read is thanks to my two siblings because they helped me make the characters and they also told me how they would react. We're actually like 4 chapters in for these sessions of "bedtime stories," until one day, they decided to ask me to post it here to share it to the internet. I wrote this story with their help, and I dedicate this story to them, my proudest of supporters.

To minimise the need for multiple author's notes, I would just like to say that for every chapter you read, I thank you for choosing this story and I hope you enjoy :)

Any feedback you are willing to provide, be it good or bad, I will be reading it. Oh, and idk how long I'll be writing this story since I only write when I have free time.

The characters below are a mix of some of my ideas and theirs.

* * *

Clair

Age: 16

Fun loving. Competitive. Caring.

The one who is easily jealous.

Contrary to popular belief, she actually likes to annoy people.

She has never cooked in her life

How would she solve a problem: with the help of her friends

Her thoughts of her Teammates:

Roberto: "He's actually not so bad. He's just the kind of loud mouth that every group needs. Some may find it too much, but I think it's juuuuuust the right amount of loud. He doesn't know much about Haven though. One time, he tried to buy food on his own and brought home a cow! He named the cow Isabelle, and promised to take care of her so that we will get the finest of milk every morning. Too bad we had to return the cow back."

Yvonne: "She's the sweetest girl in the world! Absolutely a precious gem that's worth protecting! She may seem like she doesn't need help, but come on! If you see her struggling to get something high on a shelf, you are just COMPELLED to help her because she looks so helpless. She won't say thanks outright, but she'll remember it and thank you some other way in the future.

Sigmund: "He's 100% a jerk. Absolutely the worst person to be with at any time of the day. We've been together since we were kids and he's just so lazy to do things. Plus, since he lost his sight, I've been helping him as his guide nonstop 24/7. That walking stick of his isn't enough to guide him. He's pretty much trash if you ask me. Nothing good comes out of him... But, since I'm a concerned citizen who cares about the environment, it's my duty to pick him up... He's always been there for me before, so I guess it's my turn to be there for him now... Not like he needs me or anything..."

Can you describe your semblance?

"It's a secret! I promised Sigmund that I wouldn't tell anyone. Pinky promise!"

* * *

Roberto

Age: 17

Loud. Proud. Ignorant.

The one who keeps everyone alert.

Contrary to popular belief, he actually lost his voice once... after trying to talk to a deaf person.

He has never kept things to himself.

How would he solve a problem: head on.

His thoughts of his Teammates:

Clair: "Ah yes, she is a fair maiden who never fails to keep our hearts warm with her deeds. Roberrrrto thinks that she is like the mother of the group and that is needed because without her, nobody will know where we put things! Roberrrto wishes to understand why her kindness knows no bounds, but I feel like that is something that I can only ask Sigmund for answers. One thing is for sure though, she has many secrets... Trust me, I've already asked a thousand times!"

Yvonne: "Who's a cute little girl? Yvonne is! She's like a little sister to me. Emphasis on little. I remember the first time I met her and called her short. Hahaha, I flew like an eagle! And then she caught me in her tiny arms. It may seem like I like to make fun of her, which is quite frequent by the way, but it's also because it's so fun! Plus, she's always catching whoever she throws! Well, not every time. More like, every other time. I do recommend the "Short" ride to anyone who meets her for the first time. You can see the entire city from that view in the sky!"

Sigmund: "He is my ally. My comrade. My friend. Even if he denies it. Roberrrto knows that us grown men should stick together and protect the damsels in distress! With nothing but our vim and vigour, we shall triumph over our enemies and face tomorrow with bright smiles! At least, that is what Roberrrto wishes. Sigmund doesn't want to actively pursue adventure, at least not like I do. As his comrade, I respect his decision. I still wish he would give Roberrrto the high five he deserves."

Can you describe your semblance?

"Roberto can create a large burst of light that can blind his enemies temporarily. Back in my home country, they would call me as the "Burning Sunrise" because my semblance matches my passion! Roberto can also absorb the light within a room to create darkness, but absorbing too much light is very stressful and I can pass out. My comrades call my semblance a 'flashbang'. I do not get it. It has no 'bang,' just 'flash.' So I suggested to call it flash, but then they laughed, and said that it's not appropriate. Till this day, I do not know why..."

* * *

Yvonne

Age: Claims she's 16

Height: 4"9

Short tempered. Adorable. Confident.

The one who everybody listens to.

Contrary to popular belief, she likes head pats.

She has never asked anyone for help to reach something.

How would she solve a problem: if it's within her grasp, by herself, if not, she'll stare at it until somebody eventually offers to help.

Her thoughts of her Teammates:

Clair: "She's the only one I can relate to. Maybe it's because she's also a girl, but it's sad whenever she has to help Sigmund since she'll be pretty much occupied, and I'm left to deal with the loud mouth. But whenever I feel sad or in need of someone to talk to, she just KNOWS and is suddenly right by my side. She actually ditched her blind brother to spend some time with me, and that's heartwarming. Oh, and I don't believe that those two are actually brother and sister. Have you SEEN them together? Literal ice start melting when those to act all cute because it's so UN-sibling like."

Roberto: Stop. He's actually the most useless person in the team. You have to convince me that he's actually a contributing member to society to make me even CONSIDER him worth keeping. I've actually thrown him up in the air at least a dozen times by now because he keeps making fun of my... figure. I normally catch people I toss in the air, but I've actually left him in Clair or Sigmund's hands a couple of times because I couldn't be bothered to catch him. It pissed me off before, but I'm not too mad about it much. Oh, I'll still get mad, don't think this changes things, but he is the one who pays for our bills, so it's best not to injure the team's "bank".

Sigmund: "I know that everyone thinks he's a jerk, and even Clair does too, but he's not so bad once he opens up to you. I guarantee you that he'll at least say three sentences in a conversation once he opens up to you. First impressions do count though. He's very critical and evaluates you upon first contact. He's blind, so all he has to help him understand a person is through his other senses. If you shake his hand and you don't shake properly, instant judgement. If you smell weird, instant judgement. If you give him something he likes? You get plus points in his book. What does he like? I honestly don't know... He's very hard to read. Probably because of that blindfold."

Can you describe your semblance?

"I can change the mass of any object I come in contact with. Even myself. Yep. Preeeeeeeetty powerful. Not sure about the physics side of life, but if I throw a card at you, I can change it's weight so that it will feel like I'm throwing a needle. When it just leaves my fingertips, I change it to weigh like a truck. If what this school teaches me is correct, and if force does equal mass multiplied by acceleration, then that card's heading towards you with the weight of a truck, but with the acceleration of somebody throwing a needle at you. Boom. Takes a lot of concentration though. Last time I misfired, I almost killed Roberto... accidentally of course."

* * *

Sigmund

Age: 17

Hair: Short Black.

Quiet. Reserved. Reluctant

The one who's always serious. Nobody knows if he's not serious

Contrary to popular belief, he does actually want to pay attention to conversations.

He has never lost a fight.

How would he solve a problem: complaining about it at the start, and then logically at the end.

His thoughts of his Teammates:

Clair: "Don't be fooled. She's craaaaaazy. Well, she annoys me a lot. But I gotta admit, she's very sweet and kind. Too much. I don't really deserve it all. Also, if she ever tells you that she always beats me in anything, she's right. Don't question it.

Roberto: "If I was the last man on earth, and I hear a knock on my door, I would just attempt to kill myself because after that knock, I'm 100% sure it'll follow with a loud 'RRROBERRRRRRRRRRTO!' The guy is literally unkillable. Trust me. I've tried. WE have tried. But, I gotta give him credit, he's sort of the one who keeps things... not boring. But at what cost?!"

Yvonne: "She's actually adorable. No. Really. It's very humorous to know that she reacts to her height that way. I mean, assuming you can survive the aftermath, that face she makes when she's annoyed? Worth it. I can guarantee you, if I was able to survive her outbursts all the time, I would always pick on her. It's just too easy."

Can you describe your semblance?

"I'm blind. Enough said."


	2. Precious Beginnings

Chapter 1

As the sunlight shines over the great land of Vale early one morning, it was that time of the year once more where Beacon Academy begins to send their students to the Emerald Forest for their initiation.

Atop of a cliff, Professor Ozpin holds in one hand a white mug of freshly brewed coffee and his cane on the other. In front of him were two dozen aspiring students who had the opportunity to get accepted into Beacon to become the future light of Vale that shines over the darkness that lurks beneath the surface as Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"Settle down, settle down," he said in a calming manner, but despite the fact that he only said four words, everybody listened to them as if they were commandments. The students stood up straight on their respective square panels and said nothing more as they patiently waited for Professor Ozipin to continue.

"Today marks the first day of your journey here in Beacon, and as a test, you will be tasked to find relics which will determine who you will be working with as a team for the next four years," Ozpin continued. "Do keep in mind that you all should be on the look out for partners who will work well with you or show potential since you will be together for quite some time."

Murmurs started to spread across the students. Each individual started to look at the other students and judged them based on their appearance since they might actually end up being team mates for four years.

"No way... is she really a faunus?"

"Is he blind too?"

"God she's hot."

"Stop. Talking."

"So how do you pronounce your name?"

"That looks like a good spot."

"Didn't know they let middle-schoolers in Beac-"

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Ahem," Ozpin said and silence suddenly fell once more. "That being said, you will be monitored and evaluated throughout the course of this activity. If any of you make eye contact with one another, that person will be your partner for the entire exercise, and thus half a team is formed."

Even more murmuring started, but much softer than before. Concern started to build up within them because they each thought of how their new partner will react to them upon meeting for the very first time. Some actually didn't mind since it was a chance to meet new people, but some also really wanted to be partnered with good students to compensate for what they might lack.

"You will all meet a variety of Grimm along the way, so do not hesitate to act based on your will and instincts to survive. This is actually the last year we will use this course since the number of Grimm sightings have been steadily increasing. So please pay attention to my next few words since it will outline the layout of the forest," the professor said.

"We are currently on Beacon Cliff facing the west side, and as you can see," Ozpin stretched out his hand and pointed his cane over the lush greenery, "there is a mountain that separates the forest from the abandoned temple where the relics are placed."

The students gazed upon a large mountain that was flat on the surface that towered above any tree in the forest. It wasn't tall by any means, but it was massive and it stretched far and wide that divided the forest from another area in the distance.

"That mountain houses many large Nevermores and other Grimm to the point where we are scouting the east side for the initiation ceremony next year," Ozpin continued, "I suggest that you all find a way around the mountain, but don't let the advice of an old man diverge your path." Ozpin chuckled before continuing, "this entire landscape still contains a lot of Grimm and a lot of dangers for you to face. We will intervene if we believe that we need to, so don't worry, but do try to stay alive."

His last sentence drove a sharp nail in everyone's chest and everybody imagined the worst possible outcome. To think that an initiation course was so dangerous that they were the last group to participate in it, and that the students of the next year would have a different and safer course. They suddenly stopped fearing for their academic performance and started fearing for their lives.

"Are there any questions," Ozpin asked the group as he took a nice long sip of his coffee.

Nobody asked anything because they were still stunned from the realisation that this may certainly be the hardest test of their lives, and that they are literally putting their lives on the line to prove that they are the so-called "light to overcome the darkness."

"Good, then I suggest you prepare on how you're going to land," Ozpin said and for a brief second, he always felt amused for the initial reactions the students had upon two seconds after he said those words. "I'll be counting to three then."

"One."

Bodies stiffened as they looked towards the distance. The abandoned temple he said looked very far and would take a few hours at least to get to.

"Two."

In addition, they factored in the unimaginable amount of Grimm that live within this side of the Emerald Forest, and they hoped that they had the skills to do what needed to be done. Several of them spoke a few words and prayed for their survival as they waited for the last number to be called.

"THREE!"

For a split second, all the students expected to be launched off into the distance in front of them, but they suddenly felt as if the ground beneath them disappeared. With a loud cluster of screams, each student fell to a dark tunnel that hid beneath the square panels that they were standing on.

As the screams and shouts died down, Professor Ozpin took it upon himself to make a mental note: next year, he should invest in launchpads instead of trap doors. "I wonder what students will we have to meet this year," he said as he took one last sip of his coffee to finish his mug. With a small "aahhh," he just stood there waiting for the first few students to get flung out of the tunnel.

The tunnels that the students fell in were pitch black and the only thing the students could do was stay absolutely still as they hear the screams of the other students fill the empty void. Each individual tunnel allowed students to slide straight down on a frictionless surface to provide them with enough speed for what was waiting for them in the next few moments. Without warning, they were all blinded by an extreme amount of sunlight as they were flung into the air by a ramp at the end of each tunnel. Their momentum from their trip launched each individual straight towards the direction of the flat mountain, and students had to start thinking on how they were going to land because they were starting to descend straight into the forest.

One student soared through the air and didn't even turn his head to check his surroundings. He focused solely on what was in front of him, but it was for one reason only: he didn't care what everything looked like to his left or his right because he was blind. The young man was wearing a plain white T-shirt with long sleeves, black ripped jeans, dark brown combat boots, and a white blindfold as he slowly descended to the forest. He wasn't scared nor was he concerned about his fate, but he was just waiting patiently for-

"Siiiiiiiiiiiiigmuuuuuuuuuund" a voice cried out.

The young man let out a heavy sigh as he heard which direction the childish voice was coming from. He extended a brown walking stick to his right and a hand grabbed the end of the walking stick. A girl was free falling from the air and was aiming to join up with her companion ever since she got launched into the horizon.

"Clair?" the blindfolded man asked.

"Yup! Can you hear me?" the giddy teen yelled.

"Unfortunately."

The girl pouted, but she was already used to his behaviour. It was for only a few seconds, but when she saw the view she was thrown into, she treasured that moment when she was in the air without a care in the world and amazed by the splendour of the Emerald Forest's green with the bright blue sky.

Unfortunately, the memory of the scenery was cut short by the fact that they were approaching the forest area. "Incoming trees, ready?" Clair asked.

"Yep, just lead the way and tell me when we're close," the boy replied.

The two of them were rapidly approaching the forest greenery and in unison, they flipped mid-air to allow their legs to face the direction they were headed so that they could land on a branch to decelerate and make a safe landing. Their auras may be their personal forcefield, but it doesn't hurt to be a bit more careful to not test the limits of your own aura.

"Branch!" The girl shouted branch after branch to signal to her companion that a branch was indeed incoming to give ample time for her handicapped friend to make the necessary actions to land. Together, the two of them were able to hop and jump to safety as they finally touched the ground with their own two feet.

"Whew, that was fun! Did you enjoy it Sigmund?" the girl asked. The girl had long, flowing gray hair that stretched all the way down her back. She wore a green shirt that matched the bright coloured meadows of Vale in the summer season and blue skinny jeans matching with her black high boots.

"I liked the part where you were falling," he replied as he dusted off his shoulders.

"Meanie," she pouted once more and although he may not be able to see her, he imagined that she puffed up her cheeks after he finished his sentence.

"But you can't deny that you liked the part when you were 'flying' through the sky right?"

"Yup!" The girl instantly changed her mood and acted more cheerful in bliss, "it was amazing! I could see everything from that height! The sky was so close that I could almost touch it! And the scenery was- oh right, I almost forgot who I was talking to."

Sigmund only shrugged it off, "hey you liked it right? That's good enough for me. You're my eyes, so if you enjoyed it, then hey, that's ni-HEY"

He was interrupted when the girl hugged him tight, "awwww, you're not such as jerk after all!"

"I take it back, I want my personal space back," he attempted to push her away from his being, but her iron tight grip wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from the distance which awoke every single animal in the forest. Birds started to fly away in the opposite direction of the crash and wild deer and other forest creatures fled in a panic.

"What was that?" Sigmund asked.

"I don't know," Clair said as she let go of her partner, "sounded like a boulder crash landed into the ground."

"No, not that," Sigmund said, "that was the obvious sound, I'm wondering what's the sound that's coming from around us.

True enough, a herd of dozens of deer bursted through the foliage and ran away from the direction of the loud crash. In total distress, their animal instincts told them that they had to flee the forest no matter what. What they were fleeing from, however, wasn't the fact that some large object landed in the middle of the forest, but rather, that every other predator would have woken up because of that sound.

Out of the deep green, a black claw appeared and struck the leading deer of the herd. A black figure towered over the fallen prey and with a loud grimacing howl, it called for its allies. The two individuals slowly stepped back towards the mountain and away from the black animal. The Beowolf stood on its two hind legs and began to tear apart the deer in a frenzy as its hunger caused only one thought to force its body to devour: _Meat._

The other deer in the herd franticly tried to run away and escape from the sight of the predator, but they were too late to react. The howl signalled to other Beowolves the location of their next meal and one by one, the deer were attacked again and again by Beowolves. Their large physiques towered over two grown men and their white boney spikes that protruded from their bodies were a fearsome sight, which is only second to their massive, sharp claws.

"What's your count?" Clair asked as she brought out two tonfas, one on each arm, and readied her fighting stance.

"About 30 or so," Sigmund said as he stood between Clair and the monsters that were in front of him with his walking stick on his right hand and his left directing Clair to get behind him.

"You ready for this?" Clair asked as she kept her eyes onto several Grimm as they were still tearing the innocent dear apart for lunch. If any of them make a move towards them, then she had to react in time.

"Heh, absolutely," Sigmund smiled for the first time that day as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come.

"On three then," Clair said.

"One." The two of them didn't move as to not alert the enemy of their presence.

"Two." The largest of Beowolves finished eating and started looking around for any new, fresh meat, and it did: two meat bags that were standing in front of it in the distance.

"Three!" The alpha Beowolf roared out into the sky and made a mad dash towards the two individuals pushing the smaller wolves out of its way.

At the same time, Clair and Sigmund put their weapons away and ran from the deathly sight and towards the direction of the mountain.

"I'm really glad that you didn't decide to fight them Sigmund," Clair shouted to her partner as they were both running through the forest to escape the brute that was running after them.

"Are you crazy?!" Sigmund yelled back, "I'd like to live longer than today thank you very much. Do we get out of this alive?"

"Hm... let me think," Clair thought to herself for a moment as she ducked underneath a branch.

"Be serious Clair! No nonsense! I actually think that thing is gaining on us!"

Loud thundering footsteps were trailing behind them and they were slowly getting closer and closer to the two students. The Beowolf was among the first to eat, so it was naturally the first to finish, but by the time it devoured the deer, all the other wolves in his pack were in the middle of consuming their meal, which left the two humans in front of him as his second and third meal of the hour.

"Yep! I think we do!" Clair giggled.

"YOU THINK?!" Sigmund yelled.

"Oh! Sigmund, let's go left by the next big tree!"

"WHAT TREE?! HELLO!" The blind man was starting to doubt his chances of survival with his nuisance of a partner.

"Oh right, silly me," Clair joked, "just get ready to turn when I say so. Oh, and duck by the way."

The Beowolf was getting close and swung its massive arm above Sigmund's head, but he managed to duck in time. The swing affected the Beowolf's running and caused it to slow down to recover after missing its prey.

Sigmund yelled out, "THAT WAS TOO DAMN CLOSE FOR COMFORT CLAIR!"

"That's what you get, you jerk," Clair yelled back, "now TURN LEFT!"

The two of them did a hard left turn and the Beowolf turned as well to follow its prey, but it was too late to escape fate. The ground beneath the massive Beowolf crumbled beneath it and caused the beast to sink into its center. In the center of the large pit, a massive mandible of a giant antlion Grimm began snapping repeatedly as the new predator waited for its prey to come into its mouth. The Beowolf tried to climb out of the pit, but the larger Grimm shook the pit and caused tremors to make the Beowolf unable to escape. The Beowolf tried to claw its way out, but its massive arms and legs only sank deeper into the sides of the pit since there was little resistance to push itself out. A large cry for help came from the pit followed by a loud screech and a massive crunch as if something was easily snapped into two. After a few seconds, the ground stopped trembling and the forest was silent once more.

Above the massive pit, the two students sat down and rested their legs after the stressful game of cat and mouse. The two of them barely escaped from a hungry Beowolf _and_ a patient Myrmeleon and that was enough danger they could handle within a few short minutes.

Sigmund was the first to break the silence as he said, "THAT was too close." The young man was very tired and exhausted after the physically and mentally draining escape that they pulled off. His heart was already beating furiously knowing that he was being chased, and it almost bursted from his chest as he took notice of what just happened to lurk below.

"Nah, we were fine the entire time!" Clair said reassuringly, "it was a nice experience though! I've only seen Myrmeleons in books and never in the wild. How do you think they were able to grow so big?"

"I have no freakin clue, but damn it Clair, why didn't you tell me about the large antlion Grimm that we were RUNNING TOWARDS TO?!" Sigmund didn't like to be kept in the dark and would much rather prioritise communication above all else when being in a team; a fact which he thought Clair understood completely.

"Because if I told you, then maybe the Beowolf would notice," Clair said with a smile. "We wouldn't want a blind man to keep running though the forest forever now would we?"

"Ugh," Sigmund used his walking stick to push him up from the earth and stood in front of Clair, "I hate you, you know that?" He then stretched out his hand to help Clair stand up.

"And I hate you as well," Clair replied with a cheery tone as she accepted his hand to pull herself up.

"Whatever, now where are we?" Sigmund asked.

Clair looked up and saw the mountain that Ozpin spoke of and said, "if we head in this direction, then we'll be able to reach the mountain."

"Then let's go then, I don't want to stay here any longer," Sigmund replied.

"Okay, are you going to lead the way or will I?" Clair teased.

"Very funny," Sigmund retorted.

Clair held Sigmund's left hand while he used his walking stick in his right to tap and navigate his surroundings. The two of them didn't have to travel far before they reached the base of the mountain, but they still managed to exchange a conversation before getting there.

"So Clair, who do you think we're going to meet?" Sigmund asked to pass the time.

Clair thought for a bit and stopped moving Sigmund forward. She concentrated on her hypothetical guess and after a minute or so she opened her eyes and continued her trek towards the mountain. She pointed to the left and said, "if we go this way, we might bump into a girl with cool shades and a really nice purse! She's currently with another girl with bunny- oh. Wait..."

She looked to her companion and noticed that he tightened his grip on her hand. "L-let's not go that way then," she said. "If we go right, we might bump into a tall muscle dude and his partner in brown."

"What weapons do they have?" Sigmund asked.

"A huuuuuuuge sword, and some arm blade thing," Clair replied.

"Do they have guns?"

"Um... I don't think so."

"Then no," Sigmund replied.

"Oh don't be like that Sigmund! What if they're nice?" Clair playfully nudged him with her right shoulder in hopes that he will reconsider.

"They're definitely NOT nice enough to be team mates, so pass," Sigmund said. He was very critical on the people he would be meeting with because that means that he and Clair would have to deal with another pair of strangers for the next four years, and if they aren't good enough to meet his standards, then he'll ignore them.

"Fine, ya big grump," Clair was annoyed, but she knew his reasons well, and he did indeed mean well, but she believes that he should at least give some people a chance. "We're here by the way," she continued.

They were at the foot of the mountain and Clair saw that to reach the peak wouldn't take too long, but she wasn't worried about the climb; she was worried about what they would meet _after_ the climb. She placed Sigmund's left hand onto the rocky surface of the mountain to prove that they were here and with a few taps of his walking stick, Sigmund said, "well then, let's climb."

"What?! Really? Why don't we just go around the stupid mountain?" Clair asked, but it was too late since Sigmund was already starting to climb.

"Going right is bad news, and I _really_ don't want to go left at the moment," Sigmund placed his walking stick at his back and used his bare hands to help him navigate the surface of the mountain. "Hurry up, I'm sure that it won't take too long. You're my eyes right?"

"If I'm your eyes, then why are you leaving me behind?!" Clair shouted to Sigmund as she started to climb to catch up.

"What was that? I can't hear you. Bad hearing skills," Sigmund replied.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BAD HEARING SKILLS?!" Clair yelled back. "You already have no eyes, and now you're hearing's gone bad? Do I have to be your ears too?!"

"Oh hey, you followed me," Sigmund observed as her shout sounded like she was pretty close. He stopped for a moment to allow her to catch up and said, "thanks. I can't do this without you."

Clair really wanted to punch the guy right in the middle of his face, but she decided to turn away from that annoying blindfolded face and said, "hmph, meanie. You don't even need me."

"Ha!" Sigmund laughed, "that's probably the only lie I'll ever tell you... if I ever have the heart to say it."

That caused a small prick in Clair's chest, but she decided to ignore it for the mean time. After all, she had to take her blind pal up a mountain. "Hurry up," she managed to say, "I have to make sure your sorry blind ass gets to the top safely."

"Lead the way," Sigmund said politely.

The two of them climbed the surface of the mountain and they were probably the only two who attempted to. They could hear some shooting off in the distance where something with massive fire power seemed to be tearing through the forest along with loud smashing of the ground to the point where they felt the vibrations on the mountain itself. After half an hour of climbing and when bright sun hid behind some clouds, Sigmund spoke, "are we half way there Clair?"

"I like the rhyme there! Yep! We're half way up!" Clair replied with a smile.

They climbed for another thirty minutes and Sigmund didn't feel like surface of the mountain getting any flatter above him as he kept climbing, "Clair, what the hell? I thought you said we were half way up?"

"I lied!" When Clair said those two words, Sigmund had to contain the urge to punch the mountain itself.

"You're annoying, you know that?" Sigmund said.

"I know!" Clair said happily.

"Every time I hang out with you, I begin to trust you less and less," he said to her.

"Oh don't be like that," Clair said in a cheery tone once more, "for one, you _did_ want to climb the mountain, and second, you don't mean that, now do you mister."

"Ugh, you're lucky that I have my two hands occupied at the moment," Sigmund said to avoid having to answer the question because it was true that he didn't mean what he said at all.

The two partners continued to press on and climbed the rocky slope for another thirty minutes or so and just when Sigmund was about to give up, he finally felt something horizontally flat as he stretched out his hand above him.

"Finally!" Sigmund cried out in joy as he pulled himself to the surface of the mountain. He could feel his arms and legs stinging with pain. What were once nice and clean hands, are now dirty and full of blisters and a few cuts. Thankfully, his aura should be able to patch him up nicely after a good night's rest, and a trip to the infirmary if needed.

"Sigmund, get over here!" Clair said as she grabbed Sigmund to one side.

"What? Why?" Sigmund asked, but he followed her as she dragged him along.

Clair noticed that when she arrived at the top of the mountain that there was a large nest a few meters ahead of them that was bigger than the both of them combined. "There's a Nevermore nest up ahead," Clair described, "and what ever monster made that thing has got to be HUUUUUUGE!"

"Okay, so is the mom or dad nearby?" Sigmund asked as he took out his walking stick.

"Doesn't seem like it," Clair replied, "so let's just get out of here quick before-"

SKKKRRRRAAAAAA.

The two students heard the loud sounds that were definitely not from a regular Grimm. It sounded a lot bigger, deeper, and more menacing than normal Nevermores. Clair grabbed Sigmund by the arm again and dragged him underneath a small alcove to hide. Clair managed to safely peek out of her hiding spot to see what the Nevermore was doing and the giant raven-like Grimm hovered over her nest.

"What do you see?" Sigmund asked.

"I think the momma's back," Clair replied, "and I think- wait... Is that?"

Clair didn't want to believe it, but she thinks she saw something within the talons of the Nevermore. As her eyes focused on the object she was astounded. "It's a girl!" Clair told Sigmund.

"Well, yeah, you said that it was the mom," Sigmund said.

"No stupid! It captured a little girl and is going to feed it to her young!" Clair replied.

"Nah, if there were chicks in that damn nest, then we would have heard 'em," Sigmund said.

Just then, Clair saw the Nevermore release the girl from its talons and she fell into the nest. Clair couldn't find it within herself to stay hidden after what she just saw and jumped out of her hiding spot and ran straight for the nest.

"Clair wait!" Sigmund yelled out, but he already ran after her.

Clair got her tonfas from her back and switched them to their gun modes. She held them in each hand and started firing her uzi right at the giant Nevermore. The bullets barely hurt the monster and it just ignored the bullets that bounced off its body as it circled the nest as if nothing happened. Clair was going straight for the nest, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing so.

"No! Stop! Sigmund we gotta help her!" Clair shouted as she desperately tried to free herself from her companion.

"Clair, I think we're too late," Sigmund said, "it would be best to just run away from this mountaintop as soon as possible." He didn't want to put himself in any danger, and he _especially_ didn't want her in the same scenario either.

"But what if she's not dead! Come on Sigmund!" Clair struggled to get out of his grip, but he refused. "Let me go!"

"Remember why you wanted to stay at Beacon Clair," Sigmund shouted as he tried to turn her away. "Remember our promise?"

"And what about our promise to protect people?!" Clair turned to face Sigmund face to face. "We promised each other that we won't let anyone get hurt!" She shouted those words directly into Sigmund's face as she stamped her left foot on the ground.

"C-Clair," Sigmund hesitated as the words she spoke dug deep into his chest, "I think it's too la-"

Out of nowhere, an egg was thrown away from the nest and headed straight for the unsuspecting Nevermore. Without any warning, the Nevermore failed to dodge it in time and was struck with a heavy blow to the head. The throw knocked the Nevermore down to the surface of the mountain and with a loud thud, the ground around them shook.

Clair and Sigmund stopped their argument and all they could think of was what on earth did that Nevermore pick up. Without hesitation, Clair rushed towards the next and left Sigmund behind. Sigmund swore at her reckless decision and decided to follow her. They made a promise long ago, and it wasn't something he wanted to break. A few seconds ago, he didn't believe that the girl in the nest was alive because a Nevermore would always sink its talons onto their prey before bringing it to their nest, which causes instant death to anything without any protection whatsoever. "Nothing could have survived that," he said to himself. "It's not possible."

Clair approached the nest and called Sigmund to come over, "Sigmund, I'll boost you up." She began to lower herself with her arms in a ready position to lift him up to the nest, "go and check if she's okay. I'll keep a look out and warn you if the Nevermore comes back."

Sigmund didn't want to argue and just did as he was told. He placed his boots on Clair's hands and she tossed him up into the air and he managed to safely land into the nest. He didn't know what to expect, but he used his walking stick to feel the area. The nest seemed to be made of wood from the surrounding forests and a lot of leaves to keep it warm, but he also noticed that he tapped onto something that wasn't made of wood or leaves. "This... this is an egg."

"Who the heck are you?" A voice called out. It was a little higher pitched than Clair's voice, but it did confirm to Sigmund that Clair did see a girl getting dropped into the nest.

"I'm Sigmund, and I've come to get you out of here," he said. As he walked towards the direction of the source of the voice, he heard cracks around him. The eggs around him were starting to hatch and he could hear at least a dozen of them started to crack and shake as the monsters within them were ready to see the sunlight.

"Ooooh, NO! Nonononono," the girl cried out. The girl grabbed an egg that was about to hatch and lifted it above her head and launched it to where she last saw the Nevermore land.

Clair was underneath the nest at the time as she kept watch on where the Nevermore was, and as she saw that it was getting up, a giant egg about double her height flew into the air and smacked the Nevermore in the stomach.

"Nice throw!" Clair yelled up to the direction of the nest. "But we have to get out of here!"

"Roger," Sigmund yelled back. He approached the girl as she was going to lift another egg before it hatched and said, "I'm sorry, but we have to get out of here."

"Huh? I know that so wha- HEY!" Sigmund picked up the girl and he noticed that she was indeed very small and light, but he didn't want to stay in a nest any longer than he had to. He ran in the direction where he came from and jumped down from the nest.

Clair saw this and ran to him to make sure that both he and the girl were okay. "Are you guys alright," she asked.

"I will be once this guy puts me down," the girl said. The girl was smaller than Clair expected and wore a blue dress which exposed her shoulders and long sleeves together with light blue leggings and a pair of cute black boots. She had blonde hair that formed two curled twin tails to the left and right side of her head. With a bit of a struggle, she got out of Sigmund's arms and spoke to the two strangers before her, "do you guys have any idea on how to get down from here?"

"No," Clair said, "we just climbed up here from the other side."

"You what?!" The young girl was amazed at the dedication of the two students standing before her because she knew that there was no way she could have climbed up the mountain. "Don't tell me that your plan on getting down was to just _climb_ down the mountain too."

"Of course not!" Clair said, "we... planned to slide down... the mountain... ha ha..." Clair was embarrassed after saying their original plan, but cutting through the mountain was honestly the fastest way to get to the abandoned temple.

The blonde girl face-palmed herself after hearing the ridiculous plan of her 'rescuers.' "That's even crazier than my plan on getting down," she continued.

"Oh? Do tell," Clair asked.

"Enough chit-chat," Sigmund said, "we gotta go now, and fast!"

A massive shriek echoed throughout the air and the giant Nevermore took flight once more and it was furious at the attackers. It has already lost two unborn children and it wanted nothing more than to kill the ones who took their lives. With one more massive cry, it zoomed straight towards the trio with massive speed.

"Hey."

Clair quickly looked down to see the small girl tugging onto her shirt and her cute face almost distracted her from the imminent danger that was heading straight towards them. There were a hundred of things that were getting mixed up in her mind such as how they were going to get out of there alive and who the little girl was, but all she could reply was, "yes?"

"Throw me at it," the girl said as she took out her blue backpack form behind her and placed it on the ground.

"Huh? What are you-" Clair was interrupted as a giant screech roared out through the sky and the Nevermore extended its talons aiming to impale the intruders in a violent and gruesome display.

Sigmund aimed his walking stick to where he heard the Nevermore cry and pressed a trigger. A shotgun spray of bullets headed in the direction of the Nevermore, but it had no effect. Clair attempted to slow it down as well and used her uzi to shoot alongside Sigmund, but the Nevermore did not stop.

"THROW ME ALREADY!" The girl yelled.

Clair didn't want to argue and decided to trust in the mysterious girl. She lifted the girl and she found it very strange that she weighed almost like nothing. With all the energy she could gather, she threw the girl straight towards the Nevermore. Sigmund heard all of this and couldn't believe that the girl was actually attempting suicide. "She's gonna die," he whispered. _And we're next._ He thought.

The girl was headed into the talons of the Nevermore and she swung her backpack in front of her. The blue backpack changed and what was once a cute blue leather bag turned into a massive wrecking ball attached to a chain. The girl threw the wrecking ball at the Nevermore's talons and the massive weapon wrapped around its foe's feet. The Nevermore cried out in pain as the weight of the chained ball brought the monster to a slow halt.

Clair and Sigmund ducked out of the way as the Nevermore crashed onto the surface of the mountain and rolled across with the little girl still hanging onto the ball and chain. The Nevermore's entire body got dragged along the rocky and rugged surface that it was scratched and hurt from the sudden force that decelerated itself and causing it to crash. Eventually, the Nevermore's landing was brought to a halt and the giant monster was screaming as it tried to fly away from the ground.

Clair returned to Sigmund's side and the two still had their weapons aimed at the beast as they approached to where the girl was. They found the wrecking ball that was already deep into the surface of the mountain floor and followed the chain since they believe that the owner should still be at the end assuming that she was still alive.

"I-I can't believe she did all that," Clair finally said. She has never seen somebody willingly wanting to fight head first into a Nevermore that was like fifty times their own height, and win.

"I can't believe you threw her," Sigmund said, "think she's alive?"

"Yes I am," a voice came from the direction of the Nevermore's legs.

Clair and Sigmund approached the scene and found the blonde girl tying her wrecking ball to the monster's legs even tighter. She stood atop the legs and with one final tug, she securely attached her weapon to weigh the Nevermore down and now allow it to escape.

"Glad to see that you two are unharmed," the girl said as she jumped off the two legs that struggled to free itself. The nevermore was still lying on its back and was attempting to get up and free itself to fight, but it was incapacitated because of the tiny being.

"And how the hell are you still alive?!" Sigmund first said.

"You're barely even scratched from all of THAT?!" Clair yelled as well.

"I have a name you know," the girl stretched out her hand for a handshake, "name's Yvonne. Pleased to meet you."

"Oh, hello," Clair said as she tried to act casually, which was difficult because after what she saw, she didn't want to make the girl in front of her her enemy. "I'm Clair, and this is Sigmund." She said as she shook Yvonne's hand.

"You didn't answer our question though," Sigmund replied, "how in heaven's name can a tiny child as yourself- huh?"

Yvonne suddenly grabbed Sigmund by the waist and without warning, she used all of her strength to throw Sigmund up into the air. FWOOOOOOOOP!

"aaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" Sigmund yelled out as he was suddenly high up into the air.

From below, Clair could still hear her partner screaming, but she wasn't too worried about him since he could _probably_ survive the fall. But for good measure, she took one step away from Yvonne and positioned herself to where she thought Sigmund would fall in hopes to catch him.

"Kindly move a bit," Yvonne said with an angry tone.

Clair did as she was instructed and didn't want to mess with the unstoppable force that took form as a short girl in a dress.

Yvonne looked up in the sky and extended her arms out. Sigmund was already falling and was headed straight into Yvonne's open arms.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH-GHHKKKK!" Sigmund was finally caught and his entire body was shaking in Yvonne's arms. Strangely enough, Yvonne was able to throw him and catch him with ease, but it still didn't change the fact that he thought that she was crazy.

Yvonne then helped him stand on his own two shaking legs and dusted some dirt of his shirt. She then tugged on his shirt and motioned Sigmund to bend down to hear what she had to say.

Sigmund didn't know what to expect, but he reluctantly agreed, and as he bent down, he could hear a dark and cold voice threatening him, "next time, I'm leaving you in gravity's arms." Yvonne then left Sigmund alone to talk to Clair, and so that he could recover from his adventure in the skies.

"Hello Clair!" Yvonne said with a smile, "it appears that your pal Sigmund said some nasty things about me, but don't worry, I think he learned his lesson!" Clair swears that the giggle that followed after that sentence was the sound of a deranged psycho that wanted to rule the world. Meanwhile, Sigmund thought that all short people were devils because they are a lot closer to hell than the rest of the world.

"Y-yeah, g-good!" Clair managed to reply. "I'll just check on him if that's okay."

"Sure! I think he needs you!"

Clair approached her ally and put her hand on his shoulder. "Was the trip fun?" She joked in an attempt to make him feel better. Sigmund's body was still trembling from the experience and he needed some time to recover before he could speak again.

"I bet it was super fun," Yvonne said directly next to Sigmund's ear in a rather menacing tone.

Sigmund jumped and instantly tried to put Clair between him and Yvonne, and Clair swears that she hasn't seen Sigmund move this fast _and_ desperate before.

"Hahaha," Clair laughed nervously, "so may I ask what your semblance is?" Clair tried to change topics so that maybe Yvonne can forget about Sigmund calling her short.

Yvonne put her arms to her waist and stood up tall and proud, which didn't change the fact that Clair had to look down a bit to meet her eyes.

"I can change the mass of any object I come in contact with including myself!" She said those words with so much pride that Clair actually think she saw Yvonne's body glowing. "That's why I can carry that wrecking ball over there with ease," she said as she pointed to the wrecking ball that was slightly bigger than her, and that was still holding down that Nevermore, "and why I can throw _certain_ people with ease!"

It was at that moment when all of Sigmund's questions on how on earth Yvonne survived being abducted from the Nevermore were answered. "So you're basically indestructible," Sigmund said.

"Absolutely!" Yvonne hid her lie behind a proud smirk. She knew that changing mass doesn't mean that she's invulnerable to pain, but rather she's just a lot more resistant than some. At one point, she thought she was unstoppable, until she changed her mass to protect herself as she landed from the start of the initiation only to crash and felt all of her insides wanting to burst out of her body. She briefly remembered having to vomit afterwards, and it didn't change the fact that it hurt a lot.

"So wait, did you on purposely get taken by the Nevermore?" Clair asked.

"Yup!" Yvonne said. "I wanted an easy way up and over the mountain, and when I saw the Nevermore approaching me, I thought it was my ticket out of the forest! Shame that it dropped me off here though."

"So your plan to get down was to..." Clair was gonna finish, but the Nevermore shrieked out in agony.

"Oh yeah, you guys might as well join me so that we can get down from here together," Yvonne replied as she ran back to the grounded Nevermore.

Clair saw the small, powerful, yet adorable girl playfully run towards a giant incapacitated beast humming a childish tune, and she thought to herself that if she was her classmate, she would befriend her ASAP. "This way, I'll have a personal bodyguard," Clair said to herself.

"I heard that," Sigmund said as he finally managed to calm himself down. He tapped his walking stick on the ground in annoyance, "let's go. We shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Is it because you're scaaaaaaaared?" Clair teased as she got his hand to guide him to Yvonne.

"Hmph," Sigmund replied, but that was all Clair needed to know.

They approached Yvonne and saw that she was hugging the legs of the Nevermore as she held onto the chains that kept the monster restrained to her wrecking ball. "Get on top of the stupid bird and hold on tight," Yvonne told them, "I'll lighten the weight of the ball and then we can descend from the mountain with the help of our friend here."

"This is insane," Sigmund complained, but he did as he was told. Both he and Clair positioned themselves next to Yvonne and grabbed hold of the legs of the Nevermore as if their life depended on it. Yvonne then wrapped one arm around its legs and used the other to grab her ball and chain.

"Okay, on three, got it?" Yvonne said.

"Okay!" Clair and Sigmund answered as they said a silent prayer to the heavens.

"THREE!" Yvonne shouted, and instantly changed the mass of the wrecking ball.

The Nevermore let out a massive cry as it was finally able to flap its wings and stand upright. As it slowly began to lift it's body from the ground, Yvonne swung her wrecking ball towards the edge of the cliff and increased its mass as it reached the end, which forcefully pulled the Nevermore towards the edge.

The giant Nevermore attempted to fly higher and began to furiously flap its wings to gain altitude, but Yvonne just increased the weight of the ball even further. The Nevermore cried out in pain as it was falling towards the ground due to the massive weight attached to its hind legs. To the beast, it was almost as if its legs were being torn apart from its body. It desperately tried to return to its nest atop of the mountain, but it just slowly sank down towards the mountain's base. Yvonne adjusted the weight of the ball to match the force the Nevermore exerted to fly up to make their decent slower.

Clair took this opportunity to gaze upon the horizon and saw that there was indeed an abandoned temple within a deserted clearing. It was located past the forest where only a deserted, barren wasteland was surrounding it. There were rocky spires that were on the left and right side of the temple and to even reach the temple, there were three hanging rope bridges that allowed people to travel safely from one side to the other across a massive gap that was completely dark below.

While Clair was gathering information, Sigmund was still praying that that he and Clair would survive the fall. Clair heard this and just managed to giggle. Her strong and silent partner was now feeling very scared and loud at this point in time, but it was natural for someone to act so scared because of uncertainty.

"We're here!" Yvonne said as she safely guided the Nevermore to land in a small open area that was still far from the wasteland. Yvonne's wrecking ball finally touched solid ground and anchored the Nevermore along with it. The giant Nevermore cried out one more time until its own two legs gave way to the burden that it carried for so long.

Clair jumped off the beast and told Sigmund that it was safe now. Sigmund trusted Clair and hopped off and into Clair's arms. "Oh thank god," Sigmund said as he held Clair in his arms, "you're okay."

"You were worried about _me?_ " Clair laughed as she gave him a hug with a pat on the back.

"Move it you two! I'm about to let it free!" Yvonne said.

Yvonne untied her ball and chain from the Nevermore and immediately ran away. The Nevermore got back on its own two feet, but stumbled to the ground once more. There were bad bruises around its legs and it was physically exhausted from the entire trip. With barely enough energy to chase, it took slight and slowly ascended the mountain to return to its nest in hopes to never meet those three humans ever again.

As the Nevermore retreated, the three of them observed the Nevermore return behind a couple of trees. When the coast was finally clear, Yvonne returned her wrecking ball to its backpack form and slung it behind her. "And that was my plan on how to get down from the mountain! Preeeeetty smart huh!" Yvonne raised her hand to high five Clair and Clair responded with a "high" five to the girl whose hand was right in front of her face.

Yvonne then went to Sigmund to also get a high five, but realised the blindfold. "Oh right, you're blind," she said.

"What gave it away?" Sigmund shrugged.

"Then how come you're in this school?" Yvonne asked as she high-fived herself before lowering her hand. "Y'know, the school that teaches and trains their students to fight Grimm."

"Personal reasons," Sigmund replied.

"Sheesh, direct much?" Yvonne already felt that talking to the guy was already like talking to a wall, so she turned to Clair instead. _At least she's nice_ , Yvonne thought to herself.

"Since you know my semblance, what are yours?" Yvonne asked. It was only natural for somebody to ask about another person's semblance because it'll tell you one of two things when it comes to survival: either they are really strong and will be good news, or not and thus will be bad news.

Clair hesitated to answer the question and looked to Sigmund for a suggestion. Sigmund just crossed his arms and shook his head, but Yvonne took notice of this. "I don't have one yet," Clair said shyly as she looked to the ground. She kept her hands to her back and swayed slowly from side to side. "I... we came to this school to help me find it," Clair said without looking at Yvonne.

Curiously, Yvonne wanted to pry a bit more because if she didn't have any semblance then...

"Hey you, are you really blind?" Yvonne asked as she picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at Sigmund's face.

Sigmund didn't move and got hit right in the forehead. "OW! What the heck was that for?!" He said.

"So wait a minute," Yvonne said as she pieces the information together. "He's blind, and you don't have a semblance yet... How the heck are you going to survive this?"

"I'm sorry, but you don't have to sound so mad about it, jeez," Clair felt even more depressed after hearing Yvonne say it out loud.

Yvonne almost didn't want to believe it. It was either they were lying or they had unbelievable luck, and it was easier to believe the former one. Yvonne decided to let it go for now and decided to change the subject. "So are you two like partners already?" She asked the two.

"Yep!" Clair playfully punched Sigmund's arm and said, "team brother and sister!"

Yvonne just stared at the two people in front of her who were practically the polar opposites of one another. One had gray hair, and the other had black. One was expressive while the other one only had two modes: happy and _not_ happy.

"Riiiiiiight," Yvonne said unconvinced, "hey Clair, since technically you didn't make eye contact with him, care to be my partner?" Yvonne would much rather have a girl who has no semblance than a blind man with a walking stick.

"I don't have eyes," Sigmund said.

"Ouch," Yvonne reacted, "too much information, jeez. The blindfold really isn't for show is it?"

"Let's just not talk about the eye part," Clair said to change the subject, "how come you haven't found a partner yet?"

"Well..." Yvonne shrugged, "after I crash landed from the launch I-"

"Wait, that loud crash was you?" Clair asked in amazement.

"Yep, that was me. Made myself heavier to not hurt myself!" Yvonne smirked.

"And it didn't hurt at all?" Sigmund followed up.

"Nope! Not one bit!" Yvonne lied. "After that, I just went on my own. Eventually, I saw the Nevermore, got picked up, and you two know the rest."

"Huh, small world." The instant Clair said those words she froze and braced herself for Yvonne's outburst, but surprisingly enough, Yvonne didn't do anything. _I guess it's just if we call her short,_ Clair thought to herself as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like you two are a bunch of sitting ducks then huh," Yvonne continued, "blind boy and normal girl... Well, it's a good thing you have me! Don't worry, I'll keep you both safe!" Yvonne then stood up straight and put one thumb to her chest with so much pride that she imagined that she towered over the two of them.

Clair looked directly at Sigmund and almost as if they were communicating telepathically, they came to the same conclusion. _Yvonne wants to act like the big sister_

"Well, if it helps," Clair said, "Sigmund and I fight pretty well!"

"Really? _Both_ of you?" Yvonne looked at the blindfolded man and Sigmund didn't show any signs of acknowledgement.

"Okay then, I trust you Clair," Yvonne had faith that Clair could, but probably not her 'brother.'

The three of them journeyed towards the abandoned temple and as they continued forward, they heard some loud explosions and thundering blows behind them. "It would appear that the other students have made their way around the mountain," Sigmund said as he tapped his walking stick around his surroundings. Clair was beside him and resumed her position as his guide while Yvonne led the way while humming a song.

"Yeah, they took quite a bit don't you think?" Clair said as she walked beside her partner.

"We would be a lot faster if we picked up the pace," Yvonne said as she turned around to face her companions, but continued to walk backwards. "I know that you gotta help the handicapped, but can't you move a little faster?"

"Okay, we'll do as you say," Clair said as she tugged Sigmund a bit to make him walk faster.

"No sentiment for the disabled, Yvonne?" Sigmund asked as he tapped his walking stick a bit faster.

"Well, who knows what sorts of dangers we would face if we didn't hurry right?" Yvonne nagged Sigmund to go faster because she refused to believe that he was blind. She saw him fire his walking stick-shotgun thing at the Grimm without hesitation, and he couldn't possibly be accepted into this school if he was blind. There was just simply no way for that to happen.

"Look! Up ahead!" Clair said as she pointed forward.

Yvonne turned around and saw that they had finally reached a clearing. She rushed forward and saw the temple that Professor Ozpin was talking about and she definitely saw the giant crevice that separated where she stood from the temple.

"Really?" She saw the the three bridges and they looked like they were about to fall apart. Yvonne then thought about asking Clair to throw her forward so that she wouldn't have to cross the unreliable path ahead of her.

"So, which bridge do we take?" Sigmund asked.

"I was going to ask y- HEY HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BRIDGE?!" Yvonne instantly turned and pointed her finger at Sigmund as she accused him.

"Clair told me," Sigmund answered.

"Yep! I did" Clair said as she raised her left hand in the air.

"Hmph," Yvonne said in defeat. Another outburst like that and she might make them think that she was acting like a child.

"Hey, you hear something?" Sigmund said as he turned around in response to some unknown noise.

Yvonne didn't hear anything, but she then noticed Clair looked at the forest behind her, "Clair, you hear it? 'Cause I don't."

Clair tried to concentrate and closed her eyes. It was just faint, but she did hear something that was not natural, and it appeared that it was getting louder. From a small buzzing, it slowly became more and more audible. She then looked up and notice a small dot in the sky, and it was definitely getting larger.

"Something's coming!" Clair said as she grabbed Sigmund's hand. Sigmund then readied himself with his walking stick and Yvonne even brought out her backpack from behind her.

"Is that... someone crying for help?" Clair asked as her eyes focused on a figure that was heading right towards them.

True enough, there was indeed a young man that was quickly approaching them as he dove down from the sky shouting, "ENTEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!"

The figure then landed just a bit beyond them causing the dirt to be lifted up in the air, and he then gracefully turned around and knelt on one knee with arms stretched open wide saying, "ROBERRRRRRRRRTOOOOOOOOOOO!" The dust cloud that appeared behind him almost looked like an explosion from the impact of the stranger's landing. The stranger wore a white collared shirt with a black vest and ornate gold designs surrounding it along with sleek black pants and black boots with a red sash wrapped around his waist.

The three who witnessed the grand entrance of the stranger almost wanted to run away, but for some bizarre reason, they decided not to. Clair tried her best to smile and wave to the stranger, and Yvonne instantly buried her face in her hands while Sigmund was unaffected.

"Friends, friends, did Roberto's magnificent entrance leave you speechless?" Roberto said as he got up from the ground. "What a fine day we are having, no? Ah where are my manners, my name is Roberto," he bowed to his audience, "it is a pleasure to meet the people of this fine country."

Roberto extended out his hand for a handshake and he patiently waited for somebody to accept his handshake, but his audience didn't even move.

"Were you the weirdo that was screaming for help in the air?" Sigmund asked. He finally broke the silence since he was the only one who couldn't see Roberto's appearance, so he wasn't too amazed or concerned as to what happened.

"No no no, Roberto was not crying out for help. He was preparing for his grand entrance!" Roberto said with an array of hand gestures to emphasise his point.

"Riiiiiiight, so Roberto," Sigmund continued, "why were you calling out for help?"

"Ooooooooohhhhh," Roberto suddenly fell to his knees, "you did not say it right! It's Roberto! Stress the 'R.' Emphasise the tone! Let it rrrrroll of your tongue!"

The three of then said in unison, "Roberto." Unchanged from how Sigmund said it.

"NO! It's Roberrrto!" Roberto repeated once more with an enkindling spirit. "Don't say Row-Bher-Toe. It's RHO-BARE-TOH! Think of it like saying 'churro' or 'purr,' come on, once more. Say it so that the entire forest can hear! ROBERRRRRRTOOOOOO!"

After Roberto shouted his name so that literally the entire forest heard it, the three of them simultaneously looked at each other and promised that they will never, ever pronounce it the correct way for their own sakes and their dignity.

"Roberto it is then," Sigmund continued without bothering to pronounce it correctly.

Roberto's heart shattered that very instant.

"So why were you calling for help Roberto?" Clair followed up and pronouncing his name the same as Sigmund did.

Robert's mind shattered as well.

"Hey Roberto," Yvonne said with no emphasis on the 'R', "please tell me that your partner's trailing behind you."

At that point, Roberto was completely, and utterly defeated. Roberto remained on the ground in absolute devastation; he did not have the strength to even lift up his arms or head. "My name... My identity..." he managed to say.

Suddenly, as if he was reborn and given new strength, he rose from his depressed state and stood up tall and proud exclaiming, "not to worry comrades! I have sworn to not return to my country until the very proud name of Roberto has been known throughout this land!" He began to beat his chest with his right hand and looked at his audience and continued, "each and every one of you will know who I am to the point where your mouths may speak of my name in such boring manner, but your hearts will call out ROBERRRRRRTOOOOOOO when you cheer for me! This I swear to you my comrades. This. I. SWEAR!"

Roberto finished with a smile as he gazed upon his audience. Clair applauded him for such a magnificent and heartwarming speech while Sigmund just looked terribly annoyed. "Oh gosh, he's not gonna leave."

"No I will not! Hahahaha!" Roberto laughed, "thank you for applauding. I appreciate it, but there is no need. I must ask though," he continued as he pointed to Yvonne, "why is she covering her eyes?"

Yvonne kept her eyes deep in her hands because she recalled on how Ozpin said that the first person she meets will be her partner. _No way. There is absolutely no way that I'm going to look at this weirdo_ , she thought to herself.

Roberto calmly approached Yvonne and knelt down as if to comfort her. "Aww, there there, what is wrong little gir-RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Yvonne instantly grabbed Roberto and launched him in the sky as she did to Sigmund earlier with one big FWOOOOOOP!

Upon realising what she had just done, she suddenly came to a realisation that she was no longer covering her eyes, and that there was a possibility that she actually saw his. "Crap," she swore, "does that count? That doesn't right? PLEASE TELL ME IT DOES NOT!"

Yvonne turned to look at Clair and all Clair could say was, "uh, I think it does." Meanwhile, she turned to Sigmund and for once he said something that she believes would actually help her, "I didn't see it, so I'm not a witness."

A loud screaming started to approach the three of them and Yvonne carefully positioned herself to where the poor Roberto was about to land.

"aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH-CRRRKKK," Yvonne caught Roberto and helped him back on his feet. The taller one's attire was already messed up from the trip to the skies and Yvonne did her best to help fix it up a bit. Yvonne just accepted what had happened and jumped up and pulled Roberto's head down to face her, "if you want another ride, you know what to say," she said in a menacing tone.

Roberto was still confused as to what had just happened, "Roberto does not understand. What is wrong with calling you small-"

FWOOOOOOOP!

Roberto was lifted up once more into the air and Clair just had to make her observation clear, "I'm pretty sure you saw him that time, Yvonne."

Sigmund chuckled at the thought of Yvonne being partnered up with that loud mouth, "heh, that makes it a binding contract."

Yvonne ignored them both and started to walk away.

"What? Hey! Aren't you going to catch him?!" Clair said in a panic. She could see Roberto already staring to fall towards them.

"Nah," Yvonne replied, "can't be bothered. You guys can get him."

"aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA-GRRRRRRGHHHHH," Roberto landed safely in Clair's arms, and Clair did observe that he wasn't that heavy to begin with. She helped him stand and asked the taller one if he was okay.

After taking a moment to normalise his breathing, Roberto said, "Roberto feels great! Friends, you should really try it! I saw the ENTIRE forest! Pretty sure I saw Ozpin from afar. I waved at him, and I think he waved back!"

"Ehe, yay? We are... proud of you?" Clair was desperately trying to sound happier than that, but she still can't believe that the guy weighed like a feather to her. "Just tell Yvonne to change your weight back to normal. And don't talk about her height. Please."

"Huh? What do you mean? My weight has changed?" Roberto asked.

"Yeah, just come with me, she's right up ahead," Clair then got a hold of Sigmund's hand and helped Roberto walk to Yvonne. Together, the three of them caught up to Yvonne who was standing by the bridge tossing a rock to one of the planks, and as a sign of good fortune, it did not break.

"Hey Yvonne, can you change him back? I almost feel like a sudden breeze could take him away at any second now!" Clair said and she gripped Roberto's hand tightly.

"Hmph," Yvonne said as she turned around to face Roberto. She put her hand on his leg and he instantly sunk into the earth and was now face to face with Yvonne. Roberto has fought many Grimm in the past, and even fought them for sport, but the face he just witnessed could scare even the dead.

"Oops, too much, _my bad_ ," Yvonne said as she changed Roberto's weight back to normal while still leaving him in the ground, "there we go. Normal now."

"You have my thanks, partner!" Roberto smiled gleefully at his ally as he tried to get up from the hole that he was put in, "would somebody help me up?"

"I got you," Clair said as she offered her hand. With one quick pull, she helped Roberto out of the hole and back on his feet. "I'm Clair. Nice to meet you."

Roberto dusted himself and his attire first as well as wiping his hand from any dirt that was in it before extending it out for a handshake, "it is a most wondrous pleasure to know the name of my saviour! Thank you very much Clair!"

Clair noticed that Roberto's accent emphasised her name a bit, but it didn't bother her completely to the point where she had to correct him. "No problem, this is Sigmund, he's my brother and partner."

Roberto offered his hand to shake Sigmund's, but he then took notice of the white blindfold. "Oh! My apologies! I thought the blindfold was just an accessory," Roberto said, "it is a pleasure to meet you Sigmund!"

Sigmund still crossed his arms and acknowledged Roberto's friendly conversation with, "likewise."

Finally, Roberto turned to his partner and knelt down so that he can talk to her properly. He observed that she was quietly mumbling to herself about him. "Partner?! For the love of- no! Just no! UGH!"

"Ah, I should apologise to you, young Yvonne," Roberto said as he carefully chose his words.

Yvonne turned to face him and pouted, "don't fall behind okay? I'm stuck with you so you better not!"

Roberto laughed at the thought that he would be a burden to the girl. He then brought out his hands and did some weird motions in the air. In an instant, he pulled out a piece of candy wrapped in gold paper and said, "here! A gift!"

Yvonne was surprised to see this magic trick right before her eyes and took the candy, but she did so while still pouting, but Roberto observe a small sign of amazement form in the girl's face. "Roberto is sorry. I apologise for being rude. I was not aware that you didn't like to be called... negative things."

"Good," Yvonne replied as she got the candy from the wrapper and ate it. The moment it touched her mouth, it began to melt instantly and Yvonne swears that her mouth was swimming in tastes that she could not describe. It was sweet, yet not the kind of sweet that she was familiar with, and she has bought and tasted lots of different candy in her lifetime, so this was definitely something new to her.

"It's good, no?" Roberto smiled. "It's candy from my home country."

Yvonne didn't want to show it, so she just turned away, but she kept the wrapper just in case it contained information on where to get it.

"If you ever need help," Roberto continued, "just call out my name and I shall assist in any way that I can! It is nothing but the right thing to do. The JUST thing to do. It is what CHIVALRY was MADE FOR!"

Roberto then stood up proud and opened his arms out to Clair and Sigmund as well, "that goes for you two as well! We are comrades from now on, so we must always look out for one another, yes?"

"Yes!" Clair said.

"Roberto cannot hear you!" The foreign man demanded a much louder response.

"YES!" Clair could not explain why, but she was compelled to embrace the radiating spirit that Roberto was giving off as if she too wanted to back him up in his chivalrous ways.

Sigmund couldn't tell, but he believes that Roberto and Clair now had the same shine within their eyes that burned brighter than the sun, and he just chuckled.

"So why were you calling out for help?" Sigmund asked. The question still remained unanswered and he was curious.

Roberto's smile subsided, but he still kept up his spirits. "Ah, you want to hear my epic tale, no? Very well, I shall tell you. Roberto was in a fight with a big Ursa. HUGE Ursa." He then placed his hand way above his head and continued, "about twice this size and we were locked in furious combat!"

"Why were you fighting?" Sigmund asked.

"It's because I- uh, well..." Roberto decided that it was best not to lie in front of his new found comrades and continued, "the Ursa found me and Roberto was trying to run away from it."

"So how did you escape?" Sigmund continued to press on.

"It grabbed me and threw me into the air," Roberto answered, "that was when Roberto screamed and called out for help."

"So that's what happened," Sigmund concluded, "and here I thought the heavens suddenly opened the skies and delivered us divine punishment."

"Not at all!" Robert was suddenly refuelled with energy, "us comrades should be honest to one another right? So I only did what was necessary!"

"Same," Sigmund replied. Clair instantly punched Sigmund in the arm for his attitude, but fortunately, Roberto didn't hear it.

"So what's your semblance Roberto?" Yvonne asked as she was trying her best to keep the candy alive in her mouth.

"Ah, I am glad that you asked," Roberto began to smile brighter than before, "watch this!"

Almost instantaneously, a massive burst of light emanated from Roberto and the blinding light caused Yvonne and Clair to immediately turned away. The two of them took several seconds to recover from what they just saw and as their eyes were readjusting to the environment, the next thing they heard was Sigmund asking, "what happened?"

"PLEASE warn us BEFORE you're going to do that, AM I CLEAR?!" Yvonne shouted as she tried to cope with the stinging sensation that her eyes were going through.

"Yeah, I don't think you should do that unannounced Roberto," Clair agreed as she was running her eyes in hopes to relieve the pain.

"Wait, guys, what did he do?" the blind man was very curious as to what had just happened.

"My apologies, but don't worry!" Roberto said, "there is one more thing Roberto can do! Observe!"

"NO!" Yvonne and Clair said at the same time as they tried to shield their eyes once more, but this time, there was no bright light. They both opened their eyes and saw that every thing around them got a bit dimmer, but just a bit though.

The scenery resumed it's natural amount of brightness and Roberto stood tall and smiled at his comrades, "I can cause a massive amount of light to shine from me, or I can also absorb light to leave nothing but darkness! But Roberto can't do it outdoors since the sun is a cruel mistress. Too much absorption is bad. Like sunburn. But more painful. In fact, Roberto is about to experience massive amounts of pain right about no-"

Roberto immediately slumps forward and his smiling face met with the ground in a loud thud. Clair and Yvonne definitely didn't expect that, and Sigmund finally reacted by saying, "so that's what he can do!"

"Sigmund! I think he's unconscious!" Clair said as she rushed to Roberto's aid. She flipped him over and to her surprise, he was still smiling.

"Ah thank you for that! Roberto almost could not breath!" Robert then began to laugh, "but yes, that is Roberto's semblance. Was I able to explain it well to you all?"

"Yeah, I think that sums it up quite nicely," Sigmund said as he tapped his walking stick next to Roberto's leg. "You should absorb the light more often."

"But then Roberto will be unable to move," Roberto said.

"Think of it like training," Sigmund suggested.

Clair then got up and pinched his ear hard. "He will do no such thing! So stop suggesting it!"

"OW! OW! Okay! Sheesh," Sigmund was given a brief reminder as to why he should always listen to her, "everyone's out to get me."

"Maybe if you tried acting nice," Clair continued, "then other people will treat you the same."

"No no! He is correct!" Roberto said despite lying flat on his back, "Sigmund's wise advice will help me train my semblance to be better! You have my thanks comrade!"

"Don't mention it," Sigmund said.

"So you can't move Roberto?" Yvonne asked.

"No, I cannot. Roberto will be needing help to cross the bridge," he continued.

"So I guess you two will-" Yvonne looked to where Clair and Sigmund once stood and noticed that they were not there anymore. She turned around to see that they were already at the bridge and were just about to cross. She then stood up and cried out, "HEY! WHY'D YOU LEAVE?!"

"You're his partner Yvonne!" Sigmund yelled out as Clair helped him step on the bridge.

"CLAIR! HOW COULD YOU?!" Yvonne was desperately wanting Clair's help and attention, but unfortunately, the girl in the green outfit smiled back and said, "I'm sorry Yvonne! I already have to deal with one disabled person! I don't have time to handle two!"

Yvonne stomped the ground hard in frustration as she saw her to companions leave her alone with Roberto. She looked back at the man who's lying on his back while still bearing a goofy, yet positive looking smile on his face.

She took a few steps forward to see if she felt any guilt in leaving her new partner behind, and true enough, she felt something in her heart that told her to return. With a heavy sigh, she approached Roberto's side, and the man said, "Roberto knew you'd be back! We are partners after all! Ahahaha!"

"I thought you said that you would pass out," Yvonne said as she touched Roberto's leg and changed his weight so that she could carry his body with ease.

"Oh yes, Roberto is in _lots_ of pain," he continued, "but it won't stop him from cheering his comrades on and fight a good fight!" The optimistic fellow laughed once more despite being dragged across the ground by a little girl.

Once Yvonne reached the bridge, she saw that Clair and Sigmund were already half way across and she said a silent prayer for protection as she took one step on the wooden board. Her one step caused the boards to creak and she was already doubting that she could make it across safely. Thankfully, she could change her weight due to her semblance. She concentrated a bit and reduced her weight by a quarter and when she stepped on the first board again, it didn't make a sound. Contented, she pressed on as she dragged Roberto's body across.

"Ow, Ow, Ow, OW!" Roberto cried out in pain as his head kept hitting the floor boards. "Can. You. Please. Be. Careful?!"

"Nope," Yvonne said as she tried to hurry back to Clair and Sigmund, "hey Roberto, you still got some of that candy you gave me?" Yvonne already finished her candy from earlier and was eager to know if Roberto still has more of that delicious treat.

"No more!" Roberto replied.

"Darn shame," Yvonne said with regret. She then kept on dragging Roberto along and every time he said 'ow,' comforted her bit by bit.

Clair and Sigmund were finally able to reach the temple's center and Clair saw before her were pedestals that had chess pieces at their center just waiting for them to be taken. "Look Sigmund! Chess pieces!" Clair was ecstatic to know that they were the first pair of students to have completed the initiation despite everything that they have gone through. "Which piece do you think we should take?"

"You decide," Sigmund said. Sigmund has never played chess before, so he didn't really care what she took so long as they were able to finally finish the initiation process.

Clair looked around the pedestals and she finally decided to take the gold bishop piece. She went back to Sigmund and took his hand saying, "we got the bishop! Here, feel it!" Clair then placed the piece inside the palm of Sigmund's hand and the blind man just felt the smooth grooves and texture of the piece that her sister has chosen.

"Nice," Sigmund replied as he gave back the piece, "what does the bishop do?"

"It can move diagonally! It can only travel on the space it originated on, but it can go forward and back whenever you want to!" Clair replied.

The two of them fell silent and reflected on the piece that they took. It was only for a short while, but they felt a certain connection with the piece until they heard Yvonne finally catching up to them.

"I can't believe you guys ditched me," Yvonne said as she finally brought Roberto and herself to the center of the temple. She returned her and Roberto's weight back to normal then let go of her partner's leg.

"Roberto's head... it hurts..." Roberto managed to say, but he still lacked the strength to stand.

"Yvonne! Roberto! We got the gold bishop piece!" Clair explained as she went to Yvonne to give her a hug. Yvonne was lifted up from the ground in Clair's arms, and when her feet returned to the earth, Yvonne said, "that's great to hear!"

"I know! We're actually the first ones to have reached the temple!" Clair was beaming now and Sigmund knew it as well based on the tone of her voice. "So which piece will you take?"

Yvonne then thought to herself for a bit. She now knew which piece Clair and Sigmund took, and these two were the nicest, well, Clair was the nicest one she's met all day, but they're also the only ones she's met all day.

"I'm... not sure yet," Yvonne finally managed to say.

At that point Clair was deeply saddened by the thought that Yvonne didn't want to be teammates with her. With a frown that could almost be used to melt someone's heart, Clair asked, "why not?"

Yvonne really didn't want to hurt Clair's feelings, but at the same time, she also wanted to know her options. On one hand, she could just take the similar piece and form one team with Clair, but that would mean that she's stuck with a blind man, a girl with no semblance, and an idiot. "No offense, Clair, but I think I'll just wait here a bit longer. Just to see if there's anyone _else_ that I could meet, you get what I mean?"

"B-but why?!" Clair looked as if she was about to cry, and Sigmund knew that tone all too well. Yvonne looked up to see tears were already forming and were just waiting for something to trigger the flood gates to let it all out, and Yvonne surely didn't want to be the person to do that.

"But don't worry!" Yvonne tried to reassure Clair with everything she's got, "if I meet the next couple of pairs and don't like them, then I'll definitely get the bishop piece, okay?"

"Surveying your options huh? Smart decision," Sigmund said.

Yvonne didn't know whether Sigmund complimented her or was just being a jerk, but it definitely didn't help the situation that she was in at the moment. Clair fell to her knees and she immediately started to cry. "Is- is it because Sigmund's my partner? O-or is it because I d-don't have one yet? Do you hate me? Is that it?" Clair was practically weeping like a child in front of the one person who looked like a child the most.

Yvonne didn't know what to do because she has never been in the reverse side of this situation before. She just carefully placed a hand on Clair's shoulder and patted saying, "NO! NO! Don't cry! I don't hate you! I-I... I just..."

"I'll handle it from here," a voice behind Yvonne said.

Yvonne turned to see Sigmund putting his hand over Yvonne's and slowly removing the girl's hand off her partner. Sigmund then helped lift up Clair to her feet and walked her to one side away from Yvonne and Roberto. Yvonne saw the pair have a conversation where Sigmund was talking slowly to Clair and Clair burying her face into Sigmund's chest as she cried uncontrollably. The small blonde girl then felt really bad that she hurt Clair's feelings, but at the same time, she had a gut feeling that those two were not just 'brother and sister.'

"What is happening?" Roberto asked.

Yvonne turned to see her partner on the ground and noticed that he was slowly trying to get up, "they're having a moment. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes!" Roberto then slipped and his head met the floor with a big thud, "maaaaybe not."

Yvonne then rolled her eyes, "let's leave those two for a while. I can't even hear a thing they're saying."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Sigmund asked Clair, "so how long are you going to keep up the act?"

Clair still kept crying, but managed to reply, "until she looks back one more time. Do you think it's working?"

Sigmund sighed as he patted her head to 'comfort' her, "I think so. I suggest you make one last effort to finally convince her."

Clair then took her face away from Sigmund's chest and cried out to the air, "BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAA." Clair saw, out of the corner of her eye, Yvonne reacting in a panic and she saw within her eyes a tremendous amount of guilt that pierced her core. Clair then walked away from Sigmund and went back to Yvonne while still sniffing and letting the tears fall uncontrollably, "i-it's okay Yvonne... I-I understand. I'm better than this. I-if you think this is best, then I can't tell y-you otherwise. I h-hope you stay well and stay strong!"

Yvonne couldn't take it anymore. Every fiber of her being just surrendered to the girl in front of her and she finally said, "okay okay! You win! I'll join you!"

"Y-you will?" Clair said with big, puppy dog eyes.

"Yes!" Yvonne replied.

"Promise?" Clair then extended her right pinky to Yvonne to signal a pinky promise.

"Yes! Absolutely!" Yvonne then accepted the promise with her right pinky in return. At that point, both Clair and Sigmund thought to themselves, _Checkmate_.

Clair then suddenly dried away all of her tears and picked up Yvonne and spun her around saying, "thank you! THANK YOU YVONNE!" Clair then pulled Yvonne close to her and wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

Yvonne then wondered what the heck just happened because that recovery was way too fast. "Can't... breathe..."

Suddenly, Roberto felt something move across the ground. Since he still didn't have the strength to stand, he was still on the ground, and he heard _things_. It was faint, like small taps, but then it grew to be more and more audible to his ears. The ground then began to shake and stir, and he finally said, "FRIENDS! Something is here!"

Without warning, a giant Death Stalker emerged from the ground and positioned itself between the group and the bridge. The giant Grimm with armoured exoskeleton woke up from its slumber and headed for its meal in front of it. Clair immediately let Yvonne go and headed back to Sigmund's side while Yvonne took out her backpack and regrouped with Roberto who just barely sat upright.

"I think your crying brought it here," Sigmund said as he readied his walking stick.

Clair then brought out her tonfas and aimed them at the scorpion, "it was an accident!"

"Shut it you two!" Yvonne didn't have time nor the patience for any more distractions. It came back to what she was saying earlier to Clair: if the four of them become a team, Yvonne would have to take care of all three of them. Yvonne turned her backpack to a wrecking ball and readied to defend Roberto and the brother and sister pair. She evaluated the combat effectiveness of the duo to her right and when combatting a Grimm with armour, a tonfa and a walking stick wasn't going to hurt it, let alone bullets.

"Clair! Sigmund! Stay next to me!" Yvonne then took a fighting stance and paid close attention to her opponent in front of her which decided to target her and the immobile Roberto. The Death Stalker slowly crept towards the two of them and was already snapping its giant pincers at the sight of an easy meal.

Just then, something came out from above the temple and landed next to Clair and Sigmund. A white King Taijitu surprised the duo and stretched out its tail to constrict its prey. "Look out!" Sigmund shouted as he grabbed Clair and jumped out of the way. They were able to avoid the attack, but they were now further away from the other two.

The King Taijitu blocked both Clair and Sigmund away from Yvonne and Roberto and was already closing in to strike with open fangs. Clair and Sigmund dodged the attack by diving in opposite directions, but then the King Taijitu grabbed hold of Sigmund and coiled its tail around him.

"Sigmund!" Clair let loose a flurry of bullets straight to the Grimm's head, but it only managed to annoy it. The giant snake squeezed tighter and tighter and Sigmund was already crying out in pain.

The giant Grimm then thought that it was time to feast and opened its mouth to swallow its disabled prey.

"NO!" Clair cried out one last time as she kept firing at the snake's body in hopes to free him from the clutches of the Grimm.

Sigmund then used his walking stick and wedged it into the King Taijutu's mouth just as it was about to reach him. The sudden sharp pain the King Taijitu felt was so extreme that it loosened it's grip on Sigmund and the blind man fell to the ground.

Gasping for air, Sigmund lay still as Clair provided covering fire. The Grimm was still wailing in pain and it struggled to get rid of the walking stick that was stuck in its mouth. "Sigmund! Sigmund! Are you okay?!" Clair said as she tried to help him up.

"Haa... Haa... I'll be fine," Sigmund reassured her. They then heard the snake slither towards them and attacked them with its tail out of anger. The two of them managed to dodge the attacks, but the Grimm didn't give up and kept up the pressure strike after strike.

Meanwhile, Clair and Sigmund heard a loud crash to their side. It appeared to them that Yvonne was battling the Death Stalker alone while protecting Roberto at the same time. Whenever the scorpion would attack with its pincers, Yvonne would use her massive wrecking ball to knock it away.

"Are you ready to fight yet?" Yvonne asked her partner who was still behind her. Blow after blow, she would deflect the pincer and stand her ground to prevent the armoured Grimm from advancing forward. She then started to swing her wrecking ball and used it to give some distance between them and the monster.

"Roberto can feel his legs again!" Roberto cheered as he slowly wobbled to stand up.

"Good!" Yvonne said as she hurled her wrecking ball straight to the Death Stalker. The moment before the ball connected to the Grimm, she changed the weight of the ball and the impact caused the Death Stalker to stagger and get pushed back away from them. Yvonne then changed the weight again and retracted it with ease back to her side. "Throw me up in the air!"

"You got it!" Roberto then grabbed Yvonne with ease and threw her up in the sky along with her wrecking ball. With great speed, Yvonne soared in the sky and then, with her wrecking ball, aimed straight for the Death Stalker as she reached the peak of her height. After aiming for the head of the scorpion, she placed her wrecking ball underneath her feet and increased their combined mass. The new mass along with gravity caused Yvonne to ride what was equivalent to a Goliath Grimm as she fell from the sky and headed straight for the Death Stalker.

Unfortunately, the Death Stalker recovered faster than she thought, and with its many eyes, it saw the attack and was already beginning to move away from the point of impact.

"Oh no," Yvonne said as she desperately tried to reduce their combined mass, but it was already too late.

Yvonne and her wrecking ball crashed into the ground and created a massive crater to appear next to the abandoned temple. The ground split apart and a new and wide area was opened up thanks to Yvonne, and the impact caused everyone in the vicinity to stumble and fall.

On the other side, Clair and Sigmund felt the effects of the crash and they were barely able to keep standing to fight. The King Taijitu felt the shockwave from the impact and caused it to fall to its side, but by finally relaxing its jaw, the walking stick was able to wobble out of its mouth and the snake spat it to the ground.

"Ew, are you going to pick that up?" Clair asked Sigmund and almost threw up in her mouth after thinking what might happen to him if he actually got it back.

Sigmund didn't say anything, but rushed towards the walking stick by himself. Clair pursued her brother as she flicked a switch in her tonfas. Instead of shooting bullets, she fired small red objects surrounding the serpent, and she then hurried towards her companion. Sigmund eventually found his walking stick and the timing couldn't be any more perfect since the King Taijitu finally got up and was already swinging its tail towards Sigmund.

Clair then flipped a switch and the mines she released earlier detonated and it prevented the King Taijitu from hitting Sigmund. The force of the explosion caused the tail to change direction and was only a few feet away from hitting its target.

Sigmund then readied himself as he made a dash to the King Taijitu. "Clair," he said, "I'm going left. Take the right."

"Roger!" Clair responded. The two of them circled the snake and both of them unleashed a barrage of bullets and shotgun shells around the snake's body. The King Taijitu let out a screech and raised its tail to the sky and slammed it down towards Clair.

With quick movements, Clair was able to dodge the attack and while the tail was still on the ground, she slammed both her tonfas at the tail, which managed to hurt the snake a bit. As the tail was leaving, she then shot some mines at the tail and attached it in time because the Grimm then used its tail to sweep around itself in a circular motion in hopes to find and constrict its prey once more.

Clair managed to jump above the tail, and she then cried out to Sigmund, "INCOMING!"

Sigmund heard her and jumped just in time for when the tail was sweeping past him. He then ran straight for the Grimm itself and the King Taijitu was about to strike the incoming attacker with its long tail. Clair then detonated the mines and the explosion caused the Grimm to stagger. Sigmund used this opportunity to jump onto the King Taijitu's body and used it as a platform for him to jump higher to reach the Grimm's head. With one more jump, he was now above the massive serpent and with one swift motion, he thrusted his walking stick downward with both hands and pierced a layer of exposed skin on its head that wasn't covered by heavy scales. The walking stick penetrated the Grimm's head and Sigmund, who was now standing on top of the Grimm while holding the walking stick in place, kept his position as he tried to push the walking stick even deeper.

As the King Taijitu cried out in pain, the Death Stalker let out a loud screech as it headed towards the open crater. Yvonne slowly recovered from the impact, but every part of her body ached and she knew that her aura was kicking in overtime to heal whatever injuries she had. She then heard a lot of skittering and buzzing sounds around her, and as she observed her surroundings, she saw thousands of baby Death Stalkers coming out from the holes in the crater surrounding her and were heading straight towards her.

Yvonne screamed and panicked as she tried to use her wrecking ball to prevent them from getting any closer. She swung her ball and chain around and around her which knocked back some of the incoming scorpions, but there were just too many. The tiny scorpions were now only a few feet from Yvonne, and she knew that she couldn't retract the wrecking ball in time to smash the baby Grimm.

"ROOOOOOOOOOO" A familiar voice was suddenly above Yvonne and the small girl looked up to see that Roberto had jumped into the crater in an attempt to save her.

"BERRRRRRRRRTOOOOOOO!" Roberto than unleashed an extraordinary amount of light as he descended into the opening which blinded everything that saw him, including Yvonne. Since Death Stalkers had ten eyes, the tiny creatures felt an excruciating amount of pain, which caused them to run away in fear and headed back into the ground.

Roberto then grabbed something from his back and as he landed, he pointed a black halberd with a speared tip and an axe to its side towards the Death Stalker. He faced the giant Death Stalker as it was temporarily stunned by his sudden burst of light and he check on Yvonne, "are you alright?"

"YOU BLINDED ME!" Yvonne cried out as she tried to recover from the stinging she felt in her eyes.

"Good! You are fine. Roberto will save you now, okay?" Roberto then stood between Yvonne and the Death Stalker and said to his opponent, "you will have to face me now. But beware, monster, as you shall now face the might of the _Crimson Cavalier_!"

Roberto then charged at the beast, which caused Yvonne to cry out, "YOU'RE LEAVING ME?!"

"RAAAAAAAAH!" Roberto swung his massive halberd towards the Grimm and the combat began. The Death Stalker used its pincers to defend since it was still recovering from the blinding light, so Roberto attacked the beast with a flurry of fast swings with the axe tip. The blows were hitting the hard exoskeleton, so it hardly affected the beast. In retaliation, the Death Stalker used its stinger and lunged it straight towards Roberto.

Roberto managed to block the attack with his halberd, but the impact from the attack from above caused him to sink a bit deeper into the ground and this was the Grimm's opportunity to strike the student with its massive pincers. The Death Stalker closed in with its massive pincers, but that was when Roberto let out another burst of light right in front of the Death Stalker.

A loud cry of pain came from the giant Grimm as it used its pincers to block the light. Roberto stopped releasing light and given that the scorpion's tail loosened, he used the opportunity to swing his halberd straight for the stinger. With a wide slash, he managed to cut off part of the Death Stalker's tail and the poisonous stinger fell to the side. Roberto then got up from the ground and distanced himself away from the scorpion as he waited for its next move.

He turned to check on Yvonne and he hoped that the smaller creatures didn't come back. He saw Yvonne slowly get up to her feet and he laughed at the sight of his partner being so resilient and strong-willed. With one mighty laugh, he pointed his halberd towards his opponent and spoke, "great beast, you have put up a good fight, but I believe my partner and I would like for this to finish soon."

The Death Stalker finally recovered and saw part of its tail on the ground as black ooze fell from the its tail and onto its body. The wounded monster then charged straight towards Roberto with all its might. Roberto chuckled and he brought out his red sash from his waist and used it as a means to aggravate the beast that was charging blindly at him.

"You have a fighting spirit! I like it!" Roberto called out, "then COME ON!" Roberto then attached the sash on his left arm and pointed the red sash towards his opponent while his right hand held the halberd with its tip hiding behind the cloth. Roberto didn't move as he heard the thunderous charge of the incoming beast get closer and closer to him.

With only a moment to spare, he then moved to the side and revealed to the Death Stalker that behind his sash was not only his halberd, but Yvonne as well. Roberto then moved away from Yvonne as she swung her wrecking ball in an upwards motion straight at the scorpion.

Caught in surprise, the scorpion was unable to react in time. Yvonne initially made the wrecking ball weigh as light as a feather, but as it was just millimetres away from hitting the scorpion's head, she changed its weight and her own to match. The instant the ball connected to the Death Stalker, it was sent flying right back where it came from and it crashed into the wall. Yvonne, who was on the receiving end, caused the ground beneath her to shake and she immediately had to follow through the swing and decrease its weight to avoid any other accidents.

Roberto saw the Death Stalker make an imprint on the wall and he was once again amazed at the power the little girl in front of her had. "Extraordinary!" Roberto cried out as he tried to pick up Yvonne. The taller man then lifted her up into the air and as she was trying to free herself, he began shaking her saying, "Yvonne, you and I will be able to take on many opponents and go on many adventures! Roberto sees an amazing future ahead of us!"

Yvonne then changed her weight and Roberto's arms were suddenly pulled to the ground out of the sheer change in force. "Stop. Shaking me." Yvonne said.

They then heard some rumbling up ahead, and they saw that the Death Stalker was slowly recovering from the blow. It fell forward and they could see that its exoskeleton shown signs of cracks, but the monster still had the strength to stand.

"Yvonne," Roberto said, "now it is your turn to throw me!"

"HUH?!" Yvonne asked.

"Just do what you do and make Roberto heavier," the taller man said with a smile.

Yvonne looked up and understood what was going on. She touched Roberto and changed his mass so that she could lift him with one hand, and she said, "this is going to hurt." Yvonne then threw Roberto straight towards the scorpion, but as his body left her finger tips, she not only changed his weight, but also the weight of his halberd.

With a loud battle cry, Roberto pointed the axe side of his halberd towards the Death Stalker's face as he zoomed through the air. Roberto then twisted and swung the axe and sliced through the Death Stalker straight in the middle. With its armour no longer able to protect itself, the giant beast was split in two as Roberto crashed into the wall from the throw. The monster's halves lay down on the ground defeated, and Yvonne was finally able to rest as the battle was over.

Up above, Sigmund was still holding onto dear life as the King Taijitu was squirming in pain for having something pierce through its head. The monster could already feel something inside its mouth with its tongue and was trying to get the student off it's head.

Sigmund knew that he couldn't hold on for long, but before he jumped off, he fired two shots straight into the serpent's mouth. The giant Grimm cried out in pain and wriggled in agony as Sigmund finally managed to free himself and his walking stick from the serpent's head.

As he landed, Clair joined him and the two of them looked at each other and almost immediately knew what the other would do. As the snake cried out in pain, the two of them performed a synchronised sets of movements as they maneuvered around the snake'd body. The King Taijitu was already on its belly and was trying to escape, but neither Clair nor Sigmund wanted it to leave. The duo made their way towards the head as the Grimm tried to escape to its nearest exit: a giant crater in the center.

As the two of them approached the head, Sigmund stayed on the snake's left side while Clair was separating from her partner. Clair then jumped above the snake's head and in unison, they both aimed their weapons straight to the Grimm's head.

Sigmund impaled his walking stick into the Grimm's left eye while Clair used her left elbow to swing her tonfa to the snake's right eye and stabbed it. At the exact same time, both Sigmund and Clair used their free arm and pushed their weapons deeper into the eyes of the King Taijitu, which caused the Grimm to blindly charge towards the crater without any control of its body since it was experiencing tremendous amounts of pain.

With one final cry, it fell into the crater, and as its long body slid down and towards the center of the crater, Clair and Sigmund just held onto their weapons as they rode the serpent down the crater. Loud rumbling surrounded the crater, and Yvonne finally turned around to see a giant snake Grimm with both Clair and Sigmund stabbing its eyes as it was heading straight towards her.

Yvonne was still exhausted from her fight with the Death Stalker that she couldn't move, and the fearsome sight she saw heading towards her made her freeze on the spot.

As the Grimm approached Yvonne with it's mouth open wide, it's body was finally slowing it down from the friction between it and the ground. As the giant being slowly stopped to a halt, Yvonne was now about two meters away from the King Taijitu, and she has never been more scared in her life. Without warning, the snake's mouth closed and Clair and Sigmund finally exhaled as the fight was finally over.

Suddenly, the snake's body twitched, and Sigmund fired his shotgun and Clair fired her uzi directly into the eyes of the Grimm. When the two of them were absolutely sure that it was safe, they dislodged their weapons from the Grimm's eyes and regrouped together.

Clair was physically exhausted and sat on the ground saying, "please tell me... Hahh... that you killed your Grimm... Hahhh..." She was breathing heavily with all of the adrenaline kicking inside of her and she really hoped that she didn't have to fight anymore.

"Y-yeah," Yvonne managed to reply. She couldn't believe her eyes at the sight of the massive Grimm that was in front of her. Compared to the Death Stalker that she fought, it was no where near the size of the King Taijitu that the two people before her killed. _He is blind, and she has no semblance. He is blind, and she has no semblance_. Yvonne kept thinking those words to herself again and again, and she just couldn't believe that it was possible. She was completely convinced that there was something wrong about the two students that were in front of her.

"Friends! Friends! I see that you have taken care of your end," a voice cried out from behind them.

Clair turned to see Roberto carrying his halberd with him along with his red sash that was still attached to his left arm. She waved to him, but she also noticed that the ground trembled beneath him as he stepped forward.

"Yvonne, would you kindly change me back? I feel as if I could sink into the ground at any time!" Roberto laughed as he carefully approached his partner. Yvonne turned him and his halberd back to normal, and then Roberto went up to Sigmund and said, "you did fantastic! Roberto knew that you were a fighter! The blindfold must be just a way to confuse your enemies!"

Sigmund just sat on the floor exhausted. His entire body ached and his clothes were also tattered and covered in dirt from the fight. "It was all Clair," Sigmund said.

Roberto raised an eyebrow as he took note on what his comrade said. Roberto then put back his sash around his waist and returned his halberd to his back. He approached the dead Grimm and touched its head saying, "may your spirit find rest."

Roberto paused for a few moments and then went back to the group to check on Yvonne. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, just aching and bruised," Yvonne said as she returned her wrecking ball into her backpack. She slung it behind her and patted the dust off her dress as she approached Clair to help her up.

"Good to see that you two are okay," Clair said as she stood up. She wobbled a bit from exhaustion, but she managed to join Yvonne and Roberto as they regrouped to get Sigmund.

"Yo Clair, where are you?" Sigmund said as he looked to his left and his right.

"I'm here," Clair said as she patted his left shoulder. She then helped Sigmund up from the ground and the four of them stood there amidst the battlefield.

"You okay Clair?" Sigmund asked.

"Yeah. A bit beaten up, but I'm okay," Clair replied.

"Yvonne and Roberto are both okay as well my friends!" Roberto said loudly.

"That's good to hear," Sigmund said.

Yvonne noted that there was a slight hint of concern in Sigmund's tone and pinched the guy's hand, "awww, you do care!"

Sigmund then looked away from where the voice was coming from and kept quiet, but Clair reassured her friend saying, "wow he really was worried! He never replied to anyone like that!"

"And why would he not? We are a team now, correct?" Roberto then used his massive arms and wrapped them around the group in one big hug.

"Roberto... stop..." Clair was gasping for air. She could hear a muffled Yvonne trying to say something while Sigmund just choked a bit.

Roberto squeezed tight one last time before he let them go free. Yvonne finally gasped for air and she followed up on Roberto's comment, "yeah... so... bishop piece... right?"

Clair's eyes lit up like the sun and she immediately grabbed hold of Yvonne's hands and shaking them wildly. "YOU WILL?! That's great! Sigmund! Did you hear?"

"If you're that loud, you might attract another giant Grimm," Sigmund said.

Clair pouted and kicked Sigmund in the leg. The two of them went on a continuous banter about how one of them was super annoying while the other one was a big jerk and a pain in the ass. Yvonne saw the sight before her and wholeheartedly accepted the truth that even if somebody else appeared, she would rather stick with the two weirdos in front of her along with the idiot that was now attempting to separate the two of them.

"Friends, this is no time to fight," Roberto said as he picked up Clair with one hand and Sigmund on the other, "you two have a relic yes? Well, Roberto and Yvonne does not. What happens if we cannot find it because of the fighting?"

"Oh my gosh, I didn't think about that," Yvonne said. If Clair and Sigmund's fight didn't affect the relics on the pedestals, she was definitely sure that the crater she made moved them all.

"Don't worry! We'll find them!" Clair said optimistically. She then got Yvonne's tiny hand and pointed to the top of the crater in the direction of the temple. "Let's go!" Clair smiled once more at Yvonne and for once during the entire day, Yvonne felt that absolutely nothing can go wrong.

The sun was finally setting on the Emerald Forest and a new team of students finally approached the temple after the tiring journey. When they finally crossed the bridge, they saw what looked to be the aftermath of a devastating fight between two large Grimm, but strangely enough, both of them died. Since they didn't want to stay any longer, they immediately rushed to the temple and found that the relics were still in place, except for the gold and black bishop pieces.


End file.
